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Copy that Race: 5 Lessons from Kona

Apply what the top performers on the Big Island did to race better than ever.

by AJ Johnson

1. Fitness is nothing without proper pacing

Everyone racing the GoPro IRONMAN World Championship is in the best shape of their life. There are high expectations and every athlete works hard to meet lofty goals. As experienced competitors know, race-day performance goes beyond hard work and fitness—it’s how you put your fitness to use that matters.

For example, a well-paced bike that sets you up for a strong run is always the best option. As the Quarq power files from second-place finisher Luke McKenzie of Australia (above) and age-group overall winner Kyle Buckingham show, it's important to bike within your limits to run strong. As we can see in the below file, McKenzie’s Variability Index is 1.05. This indicates that even given the surges within the pro field, he was able to keep his power output steady all day. (VI measures how "smooth" or consistent your power output is; a 1.0 VI indicates a perfectly smooth ride). Buckingham was even better, posting a VI of 1.02. In addition, both kept their Intensity Level, or IF at .8, or 8 on the RPE scale (rate of perceived exertion). That’s a number we see for pros and top age groupers, but for most competitors it should be around .6 to .7.

Last year Luke McKenzie imploded on the bike and struggled to a 24th-place finish. His average cadence during the ride measured quite low at just 74 rpm. Leading into this year, McKenzie specifically addressed his cadence and was able to hold an average of 92 rpm. On the other hand, American Linsey Corbin, who finished 10th, found that her cadence was a bit too high in years past and worked to lower it.

Takeaway: Pinpoint your weakness (cadence, functional threshold, or even position) and work on it consistently.

You should always have a plan for race day revolving around heart rate and/or power. Still, the race is dynamic and numerous variables will always come into play. This year the top athletes had a tailwind as they started out the bike. McKenzie's goal was to hold 290 watts, but with the wind and the fact that he was still in the top three, he was still able to hold 271 watts. This allowed him to be strong when the wind turned into a headwind on the return to Kona and he was able to hold an average of 285 watts on the way back.

Takeaway: Have a plan B for the variables that might impact your race.

4. Race to your strength

If you are a strong cyclist, build your strategy around that. The same goes for running. McKenzie told Quarq and TrainingPeaks that he felt he focused too much on his running last year and got back to his strength—the bike—in 2013. On the age group side, Belgian Sam Gyde set a new bike course record of 4:29:47—no doubt he built his entire day around pushing the bike. To his credit, Gyde heeded rule number one, dropping only 17 watts from the first 56 miles to the second, and still ran a 3:00:30 marathon.

For the pros and top age groupers, the power meter is now a standard piece of equipment. Power meters provide greater accuracy than any other method of monitoring your effort; many pros train exclusively by their power meter, then use it as a guide on race day. McKenzie pointed out that once in the lead he used his power meter in just this way—to keep his effort where he wanted. While expensive, a power meter can ensure that every session on the bike is a quality session. With 34 percent of Kona athletes racing with a power meter on their bike (according to the official bike count), it’s clear that a large contingent of age groupers would agree.

AJ Johnson is a coach and power specialist with TrainingPeaks. For more insights into power data from Kona, visit TrainingPeaks.com/Kona.